Is this winnable ?

Dont know if winnable is correct English. I am just wondering if white can convert a small advantage that occurs in the Teichmann defense into a full point.

Consider the position after 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 e6 9.Bg2 c6 10.h4 Nbd7 (diagram)

I discussed the main line 10...Bb4 in length in previous posts, but 10...Nbd7 ( and also 10...Bd6 ) gives interesting, unbalanced positions.

My silicon assistant suggests 11.h5 Nxe5 12.dxe5 Qxd1+ 13.Kxd1 Nxg4 14.hxg6 Nxf2 15.Ke2 Nxh1 16.gxf7+ Kxf7 17.Bxh1 (diagram)

Black has rook and two pawns for the two pieces. Some might say black has the material advantage ( especially in view of the g and h pawns ), but my computer gives white a small plus ?! let's look at the lines

a/ 17...h5 18.Ne4
...a1/ 18...h4 19.Ng5+ Kg8 20.Bg2 (+=)
...a2/ 18...Be7 19.Bf4 (+=)

...a3/ 18...Bb4 19.Ng5+ (+)
...a4/ 18...Rd8 19.Ng5+ (+)

...a5/ 18...Re8 19.Ng5+ (+)

b/ 17...h6 18.Ne4

...b1/ 18...g5 19.Be3 (+=)
...b2/ 18...Be7 19.Be3 (+=)

...b3/ 18...Bb4 19.Be3 (+=)
...b4/ 18...Rd8 19.Be3 (+)

c/ 17...g6 18.Ne4

...c1/ 18...Bg7 19.Nd6+ (+)
...c2/ 18...Be7 19.Bh6 (+)

d/ 17...Bc5 18.Ne4

...d1/ 18...Be7 19.Be3 (+=)
...d2/ 18...Bb6 19.Nd6+ (+)

...d3/ 18...Bd4 19.Nd6+ (+)

e/ 17...Bb4 18.Ne4

...e1/ 18...Be7 19.Be3 (+=)
...e2/ 18...Rd8 19.Ng5+ (+)

f/ 17...Be7 18.Ne4 h5 19.Bf4 (+=)

g/ 17...a6 18.Be3 (+=)

So it quickly becomes clear that the line 17...Be5 18.Ne4 h5 19.Bf4 (diagram) is critical

Does white have something here ? Maybe, maybe not.  Sure wont be easy for either player.

Expert knowledge is absolutely necessary to win

I managed to secure a draw yesterday against a Teichmann Excehnge defense. My opponent did not play the strongest move, but I was unable to benefit from it, and i left him off the hook. So my advise to every gambiteer : learn the theory lines well - it will bring you many rewards.

Guido De Bouver - Bart Van Tichelen
1.d4 Nf6 2.f3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Nc3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 c6 8.g4 e6 9.g5 Nd5 10.Bd3 Nd7 (diagram)

I knew that this move is not so good - but I failed to take advantage of his move. Maybe I did not think well enough as my opponent had consumed already 55 minutes in this fiurst 10 moves. I used only 2 minutes and planned to start playing quickly to put extra pressure on my opponent's clock ( game was played under standard time control : 2 hours for 40 moves, then 1 hour knock out ).

Now playing quickly in this sort of positions might not be the best strategy...


11. Bd2 ??? (diagram)

Giving it away immediately. My plan was to castle queenside and continue play on f7.
But 11.00 would have crampled black's position ( see below ).

11...Qb6 12.Rf1 000 13.000 Bb4 14.Nxd5 Bxd2+ 15.Rxd2 exd5 16.Qxf7 Qxd4 17.Bxh7 (=) and the game was declared a draw quickly.

But let's look at the correct line after 11.00 (diagram)

a/ 11...f5 12.Nxd5
...a1/ 12...cxd5 13.Re1 (++)
...a2/ 12...exd5 13.Bxf5 (++)

b/ 11...f6 12.Re1
...b1/ 12...Nxc3 13.Rxe6+ (++)
...b2/ 12...Be7 13.Qh5+ (++)
...b3/ 12...Qe7 13.Nxd5 cxd5 14.Bf4 (+=)

c/ 11...Qe7 12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.Bf4 (diagram)

...c1/ 13...000 14.Kh1 (+=)
...c2/ 13...g6 14.Rae1 (+=)
...c3/ 13...Qb4 14.Bh2 (+=)
...c4/ 13...Rc8 14.Rae1 (+=)

So learn these theory lines and let your opponent's clock tick away these precious seconds !

Grandmaster 's feedback

I got an interesting comment from GM David Smerdon from Australian. His exact words are :
"I stumbled across this blog when searching for a refutation to the BDG for a book I'm writing on the Scandinavian Defense. The more I went through these posts, the more impressed I was with the analysis - and no refutation was to be found! Nice job :)"

I am glad to hear that this GM likes my blog. Even more that he realises that there is no refutation to be found !

So David - when do you start playing the Blackmar Diemer yourself ?

It aint that bad

In my quest to refute the refutation of the Teichmann defense, I studied the line 9.Bg2 c6 10.h4 in the Tecihmann defense 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 e6.

It is obvious that only 10...Bb4 gives black a chance to survive. White now has both 11.00 and 11.Bg5 at his disposal.

11.00 was discussed in an earlier post as white risks all to trap an enemy piece. Analysis shows that white has nothing to fear in this line.

More enterprising is the line 11.Bg5 and I looked at the black replies 11...h6, 11...Qa5, 11...Nbd7 and 11...00

The black defense 11...h6 seemed to give white some headache, but 12.Nxg6 fxg6 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Qd3 seemed to equalize.

Igor S from Russia then mailed me that black gets the better game after 14...Nbd7 15.000 000 (diagram)

I initially agreed with him, but aftre carefull analysis, it seems to me 16.Kb1 (diagram) gives white full equality :

a/ 16...Bxc3 17.Qxc3 (=)

b/ 16...Qf2 17.Be4 (=)

c/ 16...Qe7 17.Ne4 (=)

d/ 16...Nc5 17.Qc4 Bxc3 18.Qxc3 (=)

e/ 16...Nb6 17.Ne4 (=)

f/ 16...Kb8 17.Qg3+ (=)

So it seems my Russian friend was wrong and that the line 9.Bg2 c6 10.h4 in the Teichmann Defense is certainly not refuted in any way !

The ink was not dry yet

The ink was no dry yet on an earlier post "Disturbing my plans", when i received a mail saying that "...you might have missed something"...

I was trying to demonstrate teh soundness of the line 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc4 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 e6 9.Bg2 c6 10.h4 Bb4 11.Bg5.

Now I demonstrated that white is better after the natural 11...Nbd7 and has equal chances ( even if white had to trade 6!!! pawns for a piece ) after the challenging 11...Qa5. But last post considered 11...h6 and I suggested 12.Nxg6 fxg6 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Qd3 with equal play.

But the attentive reader might see that black is better after 14...Nbd7 15.000 000.

Back to the drawing table !

Back again - the value of development

I am back agaon from a two week holiday in France where I met some interesting chess-related people, but more on that later.

My first 3 minute game after I came home showed how to take advantage of a player that refuses to develop his minor pieces..., a deadly sin Blackmar Diemer gambiteers never fall into.

Guido De Bouver - ??
1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Qe7 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Nc3 (diagram)

4...Nxe5 5.e4 (diagram)
A strong reply. I used to play this kind of gambits myself, but stopped doing so after a number of awfull defeats.

5...Nf6 6.Nxe5 Qxe5 7.f4 Qa5 8.Bd2 (diagram)
White's advantage is obvious.

8...Qb6 ??
Refusing to develop pieces...

9.e5 Ng8 10.Qf3 (diagram)
Black's position is tragicomic.

10...Be7
At last, a minor piece is developed - but too late...


11.000
Missing the immediate punishment 11.Nd5

11...d6 12.Nd5
Now I saw it

12...Qc5 13.Bb4 (diagram)

Black resigns as he will loose his majesty ( eg 13...Qc6 14.Bb5 )

 A fair punishment for playing a gambit whilst not developing !

Disturbing my plans.

Let my apologise first for my long absence - I was quite busy professionaly and had a week's holiday in Italy.

In my quest to demonstrate a theoretical equal line for white in the Teichman defense, I am looking at the "dubious" 11.Bg5 after 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc4 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 e6 9.Bg2 c6 10.h4 Bb4

In earlier blogs, I proved that the attacker is better after the natural 11...Nbd7 and has equal chances ( even if white had to trade 6!!! pawns for a piece ) after the challenging 11...Qa5.

Let's look today at 11...h6 (diagram), another black try to disrupt white's plans.

It seems to me that this weakens black's position in two ways :
1. a timely exchange of the bishop on g6 yields a double pawn on g6 and an isolani on e6
2. white may consider sacrifing his bishop on h6 when black castles into it.

Unfortunately, my silicon assistant does not always see things the way I see them... As an example, Stockfish first thinks 12.Nxg6 is roughly equal, but, when thinking deeper, prefers 12.Bf4, then switches back to 12.Nxg6, then again 12.Bf4. So it is clear Stockfish is confused.

Let's look at both lines.

a/ 12.Nxg6 fxg6 (diagram)
Let's look at three different white lines

...a1/ 13.Bxf6
......a1a/ 13...Qxf6 14.Qd3
.........a1a1/ 14...Bxc3+ 15.bxc3 Nd7 16.g5 (=)
.........a1a2/ 14...00 15.000 (+=)
.........a1a3/ 14...Nd7 15.000 (=)

......a1b/ 13...gxf6 14.Qd3 (+=)

......a1c/ 13...Bxc3 14.bxc3 Qxf6 15.Rb1 (=)

...a2/ 13.Bf4

......a2a/ 13...Bxc3 14.bxc3 (=)
......a2b/ 13...Nd5 14.Bd2 (=+)

......a2c/ 13...00 14.00 (=+)

...a3/ 13.Be3

......a3a/ 13...Bxc3 14.bxc3 (=)

......a3b/ 13...Qd6 14.00 (=+)
......a3c/ 13...Nd5 14.Qd3 (=)
......a3d/ 13...00 14.00 (=)

b/ 12.Bf4 (diagram)

...b1/ 12...Nd5 13.Nxg6 

......b1a/ 13...Bxc3+  14.bxc3 fxg6 15.00 (=)

......b1b/ 13...fxg6  15.00 (=)

...b2/ 12...Be4 13.Bxe4 (=)

...b3/ 12...Bh7 13.g5 (=)
...b4/ 12...Ne4 13.Nxg6 Nxc3 14.bxc3 Bxc3+ 15.Bd2 (=)
...b5/ 12...Nbd7 13.Nxg6 fxg6 14.Qd3 (=)
...b6/ 12...Nfd7 13.Nxg6 fxg6 14.Qd3 (+)
...b7/ 12...Nfd7 13.Nxg6 fxg6 14.Qd3 (+)
...b8/ 12...00 13.00 (=+)

So we see that the challenging 11...h6 is no roadblocker for playing 9.Bg2 c6 10.h4 Bb4 11.Bg5 in  the Teichmann defense. The retreat 12.Bf4 might be a bit shaky after 12...00, but the immeidate 12.Nxg6 fxg6 13.Bxf6 offers white an equal game.